Africa Is A World Of Its Own. A Lot Of Travelers May Only Think Of Some Top Destinations Like Cape Town

Africa is a world of its own. A lot of travelers may only think of some top destinations like Cape Town when thinking about the continent, but there’s so many different cultures, developed from each country’s history, and natural beauty that you can’t believe until you see it. There’s an adventure waiting for you on the continent of Africa, especially the beautiful country of South Africa.

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Afrika ist eine Welt für sich. Viele Reisende denken vielleicht nur an einige Top-Reiseziele, wie Kapstadt, wenn sie über den Kontinent nachdenken. Aber es gibt so viele verschiedene Kulturen, die sich aus der Geschichte jedes Landes und der natürlichen Schönheit entwickelt haben, dass sie es erst glauben können, wenn sie es sehen. Auf dem afrikanischen Kontinent wartet ein Abenteuer auf jedermann, insbesondere in dem wunderschönen Land Südafrika.

Kolmanskop's name derives from a driver, Johnny Coleman who once was lost and overnighted next to this place. The name means “Coleman’s Hill” in Afrikaans (German: Kolmannskuppe).  Abandoned ghost town ruins are scattered in the Namib Desert 10 km east of the coastal town of Lüderitz. Diamonds were discovered here in 1908 by Zacharias Lewala, a Lüderitz - Keetmanshoop railway employee. Kolmanskop grew out of the diamond boom. The region was administered by Germany at the beginning of the century and the town reflected this in its character. It was said of the Germans that only after they had finished building the pub and the skittle alley, their favorite form of relaxation, did they start looking for suitable plots to build their houses. Fresh water was bought in by rail from 120 km away and pumped into storage tanks. World War I interrupted mining operations. The town’s demise was accelerated by the discovery in 1928 of the richest diamond-bearing deposits ever known on the beach terraces 270 km south of Kolmanskop, near the Orange River mouth. Many of the town’s inhabitants joined the rush to the south, leaving their homes behind. Kolmanskop retained some importance as a supply depot for other mining operations, including those on the Orange River. The last families finally deserted the town in 1956.  

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Kolmanskops Name leitet sich von einem Fahrer ab, Johnny Coleman, der sich verirrte und hier übernachtete. Der Name bedeutet auf Deutsch: Kolmannskuppe. Die Ruinen der verlassenen Geisterstadt sind in der Namib-Wüste, 10 km östlich der Küstenstadt Lüderitz, verstreut. Diamanten wurden hier 1908 von Zacharias Lewala, einem Eisenbahnmitarbeiter von Lüderitz - Keetmanshoop, entdeckt. Kolmannskuppe entstand aus dem Diamantenboom. Die Region wurde zu Beginn des Jahrhunderts von Deutschland verwaltet und die Stadt spiegelte dies in ihrem Charakter wider. Von den Deutschen hieß es, dass sie erst nach dem Bau der Bar und der Kegelbahn, ihrer bevorzugten Form der Entspannung, nach geeigneten Grundstücken für den Bau ihrer Häuser suchten. Frischwasser wurde aus 120 km Entfernung per Bahn eingekauft und in Lagertanks gepumpt. Der Erste Weltkrieg unterbrach den Abbau. Der Niedergang der Stadt wurde durch die Entdeckung der reichen diamanthaltigen Stätten im Jahr 1928 auf den Strandterrassen 270 km südlich von Kolmanskuppe, nahe der Mündung des Orangenflusses, beschleunigt. Viele Einwohner der Stadt schlossen sich dem Ansturm nach Süden an und ließen ihre Häuser zurück. Kolmannskuppe behielt eine gewisse Bedeutung als Versorgungsdepot für andere Bergbaubetriebe, einschließlich der am Orange River. Die letzten Familien verließen die Stadt 1956.

March 19th 1813 saw the birth of David Livingstone in Blantyre.

Like my last post about Alexander, Livingstone is another figure that is well known and not easy to make a fresh post about, arguably the most important European explorer to ever brave the interior of Africa. Dozens of places in Africa and the world now bare his name. While many had established cities and colonies on the coasts of Africa, Livingstone was the first to undertake great expeditions to the interior. Contracting many diseases, creating a treatment for malaria, and striving for the abolition of slavery are just a few of his many achievements.

  From the age of 10, he worked at the local cotton mill in Blantyre on 12 hour shifts, thankfully, he had aspirations to greater things in life. During one of his many expeditions, David Livingstone became the first foreigner to see the fabled Mosi-oa-Tunya waterfalls, not recognise the name? Well Livingstone christened them Victoria Falls.

  While known as “Africa’s greatest missionary,” he was almost anything but. He is said to have had only one African convert — Sechele. Sechele was chief of the Kwena people of Botswana. Despite his conversion, Sechele still practiced polygamy and even after divorcing his other wives, maintained traditional practices before Livingstone gave up on him!

Livingstone was a staunch abolitionist and campaigned extensively for the cessation of the slave trade. He also felt it was his God-given mission to explore Africa and develop the continent and that only through trade (and fair trade practices) would the economy of slavery be so disrupted that it would eventually cease to exist.

After Livingstone’s death in 1873, his body and personal journals were shipped all the way back “home” by Chuma and Susi, two of his long term attendants. Today, his body is interred at Westminster Abbey in London. His heart, both figuratively and literally, remains in Africa however, buried under a Mvula tree. David Livingstone left the world as one of the greatest explorers of all time. There are literally dozens of cities, towns, monuments, schools, and other buildings named after him all over Africa and the world.

  Many of us heard about Livingstone when we were children, we might not remember a lot about him but I’ll bet the vast majority of us can say we now the phrase by H.M. Stanley “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”

Pics are statues of David Livingstone at the Zimbabwe side of  Victoria Falls., and in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The Eastern Cape game reserves are malaria-free, easily accessible and home to the Big 5. Their diverse landscapes and wildlife, as well as their excellent lodges, have made these reserves hugely popular. Just a short drive from the Garden Route, they're a wonderful to cap off a visit to this magical region.

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Die Wildreservate am Ostkap sind frei von Malaria, leicht zugänglich und beherbergen die Big 5. Ihre vielfältigen Landschaften und Wildtiere sowie ihre hervorragenden Lodges haben diese Reservate sehr beliebt gemacht. Nur eine kurze Fahrt von der Garden Route entfernt, sind sie ein wunderbarer Abschluss eines Besuchs in dieser magischen Region.

Windhoek railway station is not only one of the famous Windhoek's monuments but still functioning and serving its purpose building. It was built in 1912 by Deutsche Staatsbahn for Swakopmund - Windhoek service. The building was enlarged in the year of 1929 by South African Railways - the northern wing was added. This addition was made in the same style that no difference between two parts of the building. The sign at the entrance of Windhoek railway station contains altitude information of the location: ''1652 metres above sea level''. Part of country's railway system were first railway lines built at Cape Cross, at the Atlantic coast of Namibia - north of Swakopmund. Currently Namibia’s railway network extends some 2700 km countrywide. Windhoek Railway station building also houses famous Railway Museum where visitors can find an extensive collection of railway service items as well as photo archives and documents.

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Der Bahnhof von Windhoek ist nicht nur eines der berühmten Denkmäler von Windhoek, sondern dient auch noch immer seinem Zweck. Es wurde 1912 von der Deutschen Staatsbahn für den Dienst zwischen Swakopmund - Windhoek gebaut. Das Gebäude wurde im Jahr 1929 von der South African Railways vergrößert - der Nordflügel wurde hinzugefügt. Dieser Anbau wurde im gleichen Stil gehalten, damit kein Unterschied zwischen den Teilen des Gebäudes besteht. Das Schild am Eingang des Bahnhofs von Windhoek enthält Höheninformationen zum Standort: 1652 Meter über dem Meeresspiegel. Teil des Eisenbahnsystems des Landes waren die ersten Eisenbahnlinien, die am Cape Cross an der Atlantikküste Namibias nördlich von Swakopmund gebaut wurden. Derzeit erstreckt sich das Eisenbahnnetz Namibias landesweit über 2700 km. Das Gebäude des Bahnhofs Windhoek beherbergt auch das berühmte Eisenbahnmuseum, in dem Besucher eine umfangreiche Sammlung von Eisenbahngütern sowie Fotoarchive und Dokumente finden.

Nur 30 km von Swakopmund bietet sich ein spektakulärer Blick auf eine der schönsten Wüstengegenden der Welt – die Mondlandschaft. Hügel, Schluchten und Bergrücken prägen diese faszinierende Wüstenlandschaft mit ihren abwechslungsreichen und kräftigen Farben.

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Only 30 km from Swakopmund there is a spectacular view of one of the most beautiful desert regions in the world - the Moon landscape. Hills, gorges and ridges shape this fascinating desert landscape with its varied and strong colors.